Just Shy of Flawless
by RedWheeler
Summary: Just because he wasn't like a lot of her other fans, didn't mean he wasn't one. TalaxJulia Oneshot.


**Note**: Alright, just so you're in the know, I don't normally write these characters… let alone together. So your honest feedback would be much appreciated. I didn't get the chance to see a lot of G Rev episodes, thus their character may not be overall correct. I tried my best though, and constructive criticism would be awesome for the future.

Thanks goes to my brother for helping me with editing and giving me his overall opinion, as well as giving me several ideas for the title.

**Summary**: (TalaxJulia) Just because he wasn't like a lot of her other fans, didn't mean he wasn't one.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade.

Just Shy of Flawless

There was just something calming about the world after she completed a show. How the laughter of children rang in Julia's ears as she wandered around outside the giant tent, the colourful tent that would be soon torn down to travel to the next destination. The life of being in the circus was welcomed again, with a crushing twin hug.

Children were always the best part of being in the circus, their awe as they sat in the stands was amusing all on its own. Gaping mouths, wide eyes and pointing fingers eagerly for their parents to look too. She loved their astonishment and loud cheers; they easily made the whole event all that she needed.

Yet, there was something she may have loved a little more. The post show reactions. Where she was able to meet some of her admirers, those that looked either beyond ecstatic or flustered to be in her presence.

Her personal favourite were the eight year old boys who managed to approach her from behind before tapping her shyly on the back. And as soon as she turned to face them, their gaze would hit the grass in sudden fascination. She would kneel down and listen carefully as they murmured compliments and shuffled their feet.

After gaining some confidence, those boys would reveal their secret treasures intended for her. Handpicked flowers of whatever was nearby came out from hiding behind their backs and were thrust towards her to take. And each time she would accept, looking at the gift as if each one was as special as each of the small boys.

Often she would ruffle their hair, give them a hug or possibly a kiss on the cheek. But the latter was only used if they were exceptionally cute.

And this would often boost their morale, having the boys look at her with determined, shining eyes. They would ask if she would like to accompany them to get some cotton candy, of course adding it was their treat. And she would have to laugh, bopping them softly on the nose with the flowers before replying that maybe they could do that when he was a little older.

But instead of walking away from a heartbroken, devastated, little boy, Julia often heard shouts of agreement calling after her. Which usually made her want to laugh, and she often did, as she approached Raul.

"You know, you're single-handedly breaking billions of boys' hearts one circus show at a time," her twin told her once.

She had but a simple reply. "You're just jealous because Romero scares off all the girls."

And so, as she wandered the grounds of the circus, she waited for the boy who would approach her and make her laugh. The boy who would touch her as if she would burn him, and then look away in embarrassment. The boy who was shy and murmured words under his breath, amazed to have her attention.

But the graze of this particular boy's touch was simple and direct. She felt the presence of a finger tap her twice from behind, assertive yet patient. And as she turned to face him curiously, Julia was a little taken back by today's fan.

Staring at him for a moment, she questioned, "Tala?"

The Blitzkrieg Boy seemed to stand passively, traces of what appeared to be a slight smile found their way to the corner of his lips. "Julia?"

"Um… yes," she nodded, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see the circus," he replied, momentarily making a face at how weird that sounded coming from him. "I saw you and your brother, I remembered you from the tournament."

"So you thought you would say hello?" Julia asked skeptically, finding her post show ritual a little strange today.

"More so that I have something to tell you," Tala stated.

And amazingly, it just became stranger. "Oh. Really?" she said, "And that would be…?"

"I saw the beyblade portion of your act…."

"Oh, that's all? Thank you."

"That wasn't going to be a compliment."

Julia paused, "Excuse me?"

"You seemed a little sloppy to me, compared to Raul you were all over the place," Tala explained, "Speaking of which, you're lucky he was around to cover for you."

She glared at him, "Gee, I'll remember to thank him."

Tala raised an eyebrow in amusement. "It's called constructive criticism; I think it was your launch that must've messed you up. It was a little late, so you and Raul were off time with one another."

"How do you know it was my fault then?" Julia demanded, "Maybe Raul launched too early."

His lips tugged into a knowing smirk, "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Well, since your attention was apparently on me the whole time…," she scowled, "Did you see any other faults?"

"No."

"Nothing?"

"Other than that little mishap… you were flawless."

Julia opened her mouth to remark when his words sunk in; she quickly stopped to give him a confused look. It only caused his smirk to grow though, and he chose not to explain what he said.

"Is that all you wanted to say?"

"Actually," Tala sighed, "I have one more thing."

She made the same response as she crossed her arms. "Okay," she said simply, "So…?"

"Apparently you scare off small children," Tala retorted, revealing a beat-up flower that he had been hiding, "Some kid asked me if I could give this to you."

"Some kid?" Julia wondered.

"Yeah, guess he saw me coming over to talk to you and decided I would be a delivery guy," he shrugged, noticing the newfound smile on her face. "What?"

"Nothing," she told him before changing the subject, "So… have you spoken to my brother?"

"Briefly. He told me where you would be."

"And why?" she ventured.

Tala paused, "I suppose."

"I figured."

He watched Julia for a moment, as if he was evaluating her. "Why?" he asked suspiciously, drawing out the question with interest.

"Nothing," she answered with the same reply for the second time, "I was just being curious."

Tala turned his attention to their surroundings, and it seemed to her that he lost interest with the conversation as silence fit between them. It made Julia feel out of place briefly, but strangely enough, the red headed male made it seem normal. Until his concentration went to her again, making her snap out of her reverie.

"I assume you have to go soon," he stated, and she could've sworn she heard genuine interest within his voice.

Julia smiled, "Actually, no. I still have about another hour until our next show."

"Maybe I'll stick around then," Tala decided, giving a shrug of his shoulders.

"To see if I screw up again?" she smirked.

"I wouldn't worry about that," Tala sighed, "I'm sure something else draws away the audiences' attention on stage…."

Julia smiled, twirling the flower slowly within her grasp. "Thanks," she murmured, and then she cleared her throat, "What are you going to do until then exactly?"

"Guess I'll get some cotton candy, it's pink and fluffy… so it _must_ be fun," Tala rolled his eyes. He regarded her for a moment before looking back to the entertainment centered part of the circus grounds. "Listen, I'm sure you're sick of the stuff since you live with it…."

"It's your treat," she shrugged.

"I wouldn't dream of it being any other way," he retorted sarcastically.

Julia merely smiled as they began to walk; she looked down at the flower within her hand, her fingers tracing the delicate petals. "I hope I get to _meet_ the boy who gave me this…," she commented softly.

He quirked an eyebrow at that. "Why?"

"He seems different from the other boys…."

Tala was silent as he gave another shrug of his shoulders.

"Oh man, I almost forgot!" Julia shouted suddenly, nearly making Tala jump. They had stopped moving when she turned to face him thoughtfully, considering him. Before he could question what she was doing Julia had reached for the top of his head and began to ruffle his blazing hair. "There, now I feel better."

Staring at her blankly, Tala frowned, "What was that about?"

"What can I say, you should've owned up."


End file.
